The New York Knicks’ 2021-22 season ended over a month ago and the first exciting part of the offseason is around the corner. On Tuesday, May 17, the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago at 8 p.m. ET.
New York finished the year 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 37-45 record, just out of reach of the play-in tournament. At least Knicks fans can look forward to another high draft pick in June. You have to try to look for the silver linings.
Once the New Orleans Pelicans advanced to the playoffs, New York locked in the 11th-best lottery odds.
What do New York Knicks fans need to know about the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery?
Let’s take a look at the odds of the Knicks being able to land a top-4 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon:
- No. 1 pick: 2 percent
- No. 2 pick: 2.2 percent
- No. 3 pick: 2.4 percent
- No. 4 pick: 2.8 percent
Overall, the organization has a 9.4% chance at a top-4 selection. New York has a 77.6% chance to end up with the 11th pick in the draft, a 12.6% chance to land the 12th pick, and an 0.4% chance to land the 13th pick.
Here’s a look at the 10 teams who hold better odds than the Knicks in the draft lottery:
- Houston Rockets (20-62): 14 percent chance to pick No. 1, 52.1 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Orlando Magic (22-60): 14 percent chance to pick No. 1, 52.1 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Detroit Pistons (23-59): 14 percent chance to pick No. 1, 52.1 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58): 12.5 percent chance to pick No. 1, 48.1 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Indiana Pacers (25-57): 10.5 percent chance to pick No. 1, 42.1 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Portland Trail Blazers (27-55): 9 percent chance to pick No. 1, 37.2 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Sacramento Kings (30-52): 7.5 percent chance to pick No. 1, 32 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Los Angeles Lakers (33-49): 6 percent chance to pick No. 1, 26.3 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- San Antonio Spurs (34-48): 4.5 percent chance to pick No. 1, 20.3 percent chance at a top-4 pick
- Washington Wizards (35-47): 3 percent chance to pick No. 1, 13.9 percent chance at a top-4 pick
And for the fans who aren’t familiar with how the draft lottery process works, here’s an explainer from the NBA:
"The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks."
For the teams who aren’t granted one of the first four picks in the 2022 draft, picks 5-14 will be selected in inverse order of the remaining 10 teams’ 2021-22 regular-season records.
In 2021, the Knicks drafted Quentin Grimes at No. 25, Rokas Jokubaitis at No. 34, Miles McBride at No. 36, and Jericho Sims at No. 58.
New York’s highest draft pick in the past five years took place in 2019 when the Knicks selected RJ Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick.
Fans can watch the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery on ESPN. May the odds be in New York’s favor.
A perfect but realistic Knicks 2022 draft night
With the 2022 NBA Draft coming up next month, let's take a look at what a perfect draft night could look like for the New York Knicks.